Harrow Council have allocated almost £11,000 for improvements to parks in the Hatch End area.
Councillors Matthew Goodwin-Freeman and Susan Hall have freed up funding from the Ward Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.
This is a pot of money each ward gets to improve their local area.
Goodwin-Freeman said: “The goalposts in Hatch End Playing Fields are rusting and old, the slide and gym equipment in Shaftesbury Playing Fields has been broken for a long time.
“The skier and playground condition in Saddlers Mead Open Space has also been broken for a while and is not fit for purpose.
“Our Parks Improvement Project will mean every child in Hatch End has a good quality park near them to enjoy.”
Many forget the Saddlers Mead Open Space, opposite the Hatch End Tennis Club, but this overlooked area is now getting a much needed facelift.
Among the improvements is the repair of cracks in the tarmac within the playground and a new ‘Springer’ has been funded.
Two new benches with concrete bases have also been ordered after old benches collapsed and replacements were requested by residents.
The playground at Shaftesbury Playing Field has been blighted by a broken slide and gym equipment but this is scheduled to be fixed as part of the development.
There are long-term plans to improve the car park, access and the play area due to a regular issue with flooding, traffic and lighting which residents have highlighted to the council.
Over in Hatch End Playing Fields, funding to strip back, repaint and repair the five sets of old goalposts has been agreed, which will delight families and sports teams using the playing fields regularly.
Residents have suggested several improvements to be looked at for the space which Goodwin-Freeman and Hall have said they will explore with Council Officers.
The £11,000 investment is the latest move as part of their Parks Improvement Project, which turned a disused field behind Hatch End Swimming Pool into Harrow’s newest park.
An accessible path was laid, natural benches, a wildflower meadow, trees and an outdoor performance space were included.
Special commemorative trees were planted to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, her death later that year, and the Coronation of Charles III in 2024.
There are hopes that the park will be recognised with a Green Flag Award, the benchmark international standard for parks and green spaces.
It will become Harrow’s seventh Green Flag park if awarded.
Feature image: Used with permission of Matthew Goodwin-Freeman
Other pictures: Jack Reeves
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